WilsonWedgeMan

Brother, VN was handled wrongly, but fighting alongside someone who's fighting for their freedom is never wrong... people helped us in the 1770s... I admire and agree with #s 1 & 2.. and thanks for having the wisdom to go any further!!! your friend was right, all things considered. after working @ a VA hospital for over 23 years, I've never had the honor to meet one of these heros that were awarded the CMH. that tells how truely rare they were to obtain, and the fact that most were given post-humanously. Thank you for YOUR service, and receive a salute from me.....

some very interesting responses,thus far....I know that sanctions against an already broken and destitute country is meaningless. I also understand that desperation can result in terrible destruction.I believe that the UN is a far cry from what it was developed to be, tho it's better than having every nation fending for themselves.I also believe that Korea only wants attention, and would use any means to obtain it. I know that China cannot be trusted, nor can Russia, so looking to them for helping in this matter would be a waste of effort.I do believe that Korea would nuke the US, or at the very least our troops stationed in S.Korea, in an attempt to re-unite both Koreas under 1 Leader...and that would most definately be Kim Jong-il, thru hook or crook. we'd be well served to keep our warships anchord REAL close to S. Korea, just in case....

what unit ? 25th Inf here....

I didn't start this thread so that those Honorable men could be shown pathetic example of disrespect... from someone who doesn't know, nor could comprehend what they did to achieve such Honor. I find your post distasteful, and immature.

wow... that must be easier said than done to anyone playing in a Touney that Tigers' in..... it appears to me, that most are seeing who can finish in 2nd place.. they appear to relinquish 1st very easily when he's on the course. as an vet, I'd like to be able to spend 2 weeks with any PGA player. I can't help them swing better, or putt better, technically-wise... but I'd sure be able to impart some head-strong attitude in them if they'd listen. all they'd have to do is LISTEN, then apply.... what makes Tiger so strong? his mental toughness that was imparted to him by his Dad and Mom!!! in that category, his a cut above the rest.

http://shock.military.com/Shock/vide...=187582&page;=2 'nuff said.....

sadly, it's been about a year.... I doubt that I could hit the darn ball now....

I drive the best kind of vehicle.......... one that's paid for. 2000 Ranger XLT Off Road... get's me where I need to go

bingo....

couldn't agree more, IF..and here's the trouble... IF it means NOT going into debt. the Gov't wants to loosening up borrowing policies, so people will borrow..meaning, go into debt(further into debt for most..not good). it's never good biz sense to spend what you don't have..nor is it the responsiblity of the individual to fix what corporate has messed up.. they broke, let 'em fix it... maybe then, they'll feel the pain that many at the bottom have felt for years, and get a grip on reality. unlike your opinion, it's not my job to fix it. its' my job to have/show responsible financial practices to my kids and their kids. if companies are laying off, going out of biz..not my fault. if my kids borrow past their means to repay, just to keep the economic world a spinnin', then I've failed to teach them sound financial practices. so far,it appears as tho I've done well, according to their financial conditions.

I'm under 4 yrs til retirement,been saving as much as possible(which came in handy when my $5K furnace needed to be replaced this past summer). we have only 1 car payment, but help our grown kids as needed(you never stop being needed). I grew up with Grandparents who went thru the Depression, and built a house during it. they taught me : be thrifty. from what i see from my friends at work, and some of the responses here, they really don't understand what that means.heres' a hint: for every dime you spend(if possible) have something to show for it weeks later...money is better in your bank account than anyones,tho, so be tighter than bark on a tree.

the probvlem with that idea, is that to compete, workers have to match foreign wage salaries... why do you think the companies left in the 1st place? wages/benefits..overhead/operational expenses....and the like. those aren't a worry if ya take a product off a boat and ship it to a warehouse for distribution. why is Walmart/Target/ K-mart,Sears and other stores FULL of foreign made products? because they're CHEAPER PRICED. now the Gov't can put higher tariffs on these imports, but seeing as we owe China a ton and a half of money, that wouldn't be financially smart. so saying you'll hel;p create jobs is easier said than done in a Global Economy(which we should have indulged in...but the cows are out, so no use closing the barn door) their salries/way of life increase, while ours will decrease..... Obama is blowing smoke and so was McCain....neither can do anything about a sinking wealth of a nation, because they were apart of the downfall while in Congress...

....that's the biggest travesty of all...because more companies are losing money than are gaining assests, which is what CEOs are paid to do. that scale is waay outta proportion, considering they mainly make decisions on issues that are presented to them by their brain-trust subordinates...any good Janitor could easily be as successful if given opportunity. because it's at best a 50/50 chance of either being a good decision, or a bad one. if you can manage your personal/home budget, you can do the same for any company, with a little common sense and honest advisors who know the big-boy game. I see where 155 Circuit City stores are closing their doors nation-wide.... I'd say that CEO deserves a huge bonus.....

I've been a Federal employee for over 23 years...thru numerous Prezs, and it's all just a game as far as I'm concerned. I'm paying more taxes on my earnings now than my father did... I'm paying more taxes on the State level than my father or Grandfather did...yet I don't see our infrastructure anywhere near what my(yours) tax collections should provide. Too many services being tapped from the $$ ,I dunno... too many not paying into the system to keep that infrastucture maintained accurately ?... again, I dunno... but I honestly feel, that it won't matter who sets in the Oval office next term, as we'll still have the same problems, or types of problems, that CAN'T be solved . some of this countries problems will never be solved, and no one man can change that fact. no one controlling power in Congress can change that fact. Democrat or Republican..or even some 3rd/4th/5th party can't change "what is". only the entire population can do that, but only if we're close to being on the same page...which we are not. being on the same page about "wanting" something, be it more freedoms, less government, or legalizing moral issues such as Gay marriages, is a far cry from being on the same page about the solutions. that's where we're terribly bogged down by partianships, be it political..Religious.. or even Racial for that matter. I remember when a man called Nixon promised to get us out of an unpopular war...seems history is repeating itself on that fact...we can't stay out of foreign matters that drain our system of $$ and blood. we'll never change that fact,as 1 example. to those who think Obama is the Savior of this nation...he is not. to those that think McCain is, he,too, is not.. you cannot throw the baby out with the bath water, but until Americans start coming together on the same page, you're still scrubbingh the baby in dirty water. my family has been in politics on State/local level for decades, and believe me when I tell you, it's a dirty business...and what "clean" thing can come from that environment? may tomorrow bring no anxiety for anyone here, despite who may win, or who don't... because in the end, nothings' really gonna change...just like the ocean, politics just ebbs and flows..research will demonstrate that. that's the way I see it...

..umm, tell me if I'm wrong here, but isn't the present financial condition(falling like a rock) directly related to/caused by the so-called "finacial experts"? I mean, aren't those who were in charge of Stearns/AIG/etc, financial professionals? ..not sure I'd trust any financial folks these days.... as for the best Book on financial advice... it's the best seller year after year

nice shop!!! you and I are on the same page, but mines' not bass guitar.... Gibson electric guitars!!! same for woodworking, sold a couple Les Pauls to buy machines few years ago....now my wife has to park outside!!! never have enough tools!!!

the market effects everyone, even those not directly invested. the market fell below 11K today, and only upon word that TAXPAYERS were gonna bail out Freddie/Fannie did it rebound. that's MY money bailing out poor banking practices...which isn't right in my book. the little mom'pop bizs that go under don't get the same protection...why not?..but that's another issue. I've worked as hard as anyone on this or any forum since I was 15...I'm 52 now. I've paid into my gov't retirement,which changed right before I entered to the FERS system...no more Civil Service retirement..it cost the Govt too much money...and now I have 4 years to go before I can retire. I can possibly live on my G fund(no losses like other funds)/TSP savings/and when 62 my SS, but I'd have to relocate to a lower income area to survive. taxes too high here, and climbing. the days of getting rich by hard work is almost over... now that requires that you you have someting to offer that can't be bought from China/India/etc.. for cheaper...and good luck with that, or you own a bar/club/slot machines/gambling parlor...they seem to thrive in bad times. many contractors/excavator companies have all but folded due to the RE slump...it's hard to pay for a 70K dozer when there's no work...but they lived high for awhile. even our county Govt is making employees clean their own offices, due to the high janitorial contract they were paying!! Real estate will eventually make a comeback, but you'd better have cash or assests to buy it with, as loans are gonna be as hard to get as they were 35 years ago. I don't play the market cuz someone has to lose for others to gain..that's the nature of the beast... and these days, many more losers than gainers...MANY more. my Brother owns 7 rental properties, ask him if it's all that and a bag of chips...he'll tell ya about destructive tennants, non paying tennants, constant repair/upkeep that he's responsible for(which he should be), those high taxes, higher insurances... they only start making a profit if: they become paid for, or the value increases to more than the exsiting debt(which isn't happening these days..maybe in the future it will regain the loss..in the meantime...no profit). in fact, I'd wager to say that the US is in the financial crisis it's in, due to the "I want it NOW" mentality, and that's not how wealth is acheived. whats's the national savings rate per individual, as opposed to private debt per individual? THAT tells the story...

when I started driving in 1971, gas was around $.30 a gal... took 5 bucks to fill up the bomb I bought. wages were about 3.00/hr for a labor type job. new houses were around $25000 dollars... new cars around $3500 for your average Ford/Chevy family sedan(Dad bought a new 70 Chevy C-10 for $3500...loaded...got about 15 MPG). you'd have to be making $40/hr paying $4/gal to be equal in 70s money... your house is 10x more expensive, meaning you'd have to make $30/hr to be even with yesteryear..... new vehicles are at least 10x more expensive now than then....and lets' not go into all the taxes you pay from every dollar you earn, on everything you own,especially in states that have personal property taxes(like WV) along with Real estate taxes/fire fees/ambulance fees/etc... no one had a sewer/water bill to pay then..you do now. no one paid for TV reception other than an antennae, not so today.. lots have cable/sat/etc. you could put a set of Firestones/Goodyear/brand name tires on your car for under $100... that won't buy 1 Michelin today. do the math... wages did NOT keep up with expenses we have accumilated. and I fear it's only gonna get worse before it gets better. I see where FannieMae/FreddieMac need to be bailed out (like other S&L; failures) by the taxpayers, meaning you'll be paying more taxes to cover it,meaning less disposable income in your check(as if Gas wasn't eating enough of it already!) combine that with job losses mounting,interest rates rising, stock market falling, and you can see that $4/gal is the least of our worries. did I hear someone mention Iran? they have 1 thing on their minds right now...preparing to try and eliminate Israel from the world(those missles were not to fired to threaten the US). what oil they produce will always be sold,their weak economy requires it. but that's not to say they won't cut us off, cuz theres' always another country that will take the oil.

I got there as he was tightening the string,and I saw him have the string ready to be put on..all I had to do was walk a few steps,and he was nearly done but if I recall, I THINK he ran the string thru the tuner post..held it whilst turning the key... he MAY have half-wrapped the string on the post and wrapped the string under itself..but I'm not sure about that... he never had more than 2 complete wraps around the post,tho....when you have to change 'em mid-song, you get it done quickly... he only did the one string, so I'm guessing he wasn't gonna give "how-to" demonstrations for us shmoes... hewas cool and all, but very guarded about information concerning his job/boss/etc....

I hear ya... Brads' guitar tech was @ a jam in Greensboro a couple years ago w/ an amp(Orange modded by Divided by 13)..and it smoked!!! the guy could string a guitar quicker than I could get it out of the pkg....

...you'll have to speak up.... Ratt? older Metallica? Twisted Sister? way past my days.... you'd like Bob Rienhardts' amps..Mark knopfler uses 'em now that he dumped his Voxs.... the have great tone(all tube)...

at 52, I don't wanna think how long I've been playin' music.... I own just a few guitars, but they're good ones...the amp/cab is also decent enough. I personally know folks who build guitars/amps/cabs/ pedals/you name it... goes with the territrory of loving guitar,I reckon... just wished I could play golf as good as I play guitar(not that I'm Frank Marino or something..) I've seen more high dollar gear than enough,played thru many of 'em(even some owned by Brad Whitford of Aerosmith), and I'll say that you get what you pay for.it's sad that American made gear is outrageously expensive. But I wouldn't trade my Gibsons' for any foreign made axes. ... my sister rec'd her Masters' from Carnegie/Mellon in Music..a classical pianist back in the day, so music runs in the gene....Grandmaw was a 3rd grade teacher,and exposed all of her students to the Recorder(everyone in every class she had..52 years worth). many in our area of the county started their music lives with her....anyone remember the Recorder?

..I used to collect guitars..Gibsons... but after I sold a few to furnish a woodworking shop, I kinda switched priorities.... I had plans on getting an Custom Shop Les Paul, but a new furnace took that $4500 bucks..

Brutha, my wife has an 03 CTS...drives 80 miles round trip to work. it gets decent mileage for a "sports" car,which it really isn't unless you get the "V" model. we're in our mid 50s, and it fits our needs. that being said, it is no way, anywahere NEAR the car that our Riviera was.... it had nearly 200K on it when we sold it, and it would STILL out-run the CTS..there wasn't one with low enough mileage for sale when I bought the CTS, or I'd bought it instead.

..ain't it the truth...must be 'cuz they both are hard to master!!! if anyones' interested in hearing a killer player, do Youtube for Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush... I've been following FM since the 70s..the man is amazing on that SG... in my dreams can I match that talentr...and he started out a drummer